Preview: Bastrop Bears vs. Veterans Memorial Patriots
The Bastrop Bears will be playing in front of their home fans against the Veterans Memorial Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bastrop will be strutting in after a victory while Veterans Memorial will be coming in after a defeat.
Last Friday, Bastrop took their match on the road with ease, bagging a 34-7 win over Cedar Creek. Given Bastrop's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 458th, while Cedar Creek is ranked 990th), the result wasn't exactly an upset.
Bastrop got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Weston Nielsen out in front who threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns on only 16 passes. Another player making a difference was Ladainian Merino, who rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.1 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Veterans Memorial unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 28-21 hit to the loss column at the hands of Liberty Hill. The game was a 7-7 toss-up at halftime, but Veterans Memorial was outscored by Liberty Hill in the second.
Veterans Memorial might have lost, but man, James Peoples was a machine: he rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, and also picked up 47 receiving yards. Peoples was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 67 yards.
Bastrop is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 5-2 record this season. As for Veterans Memorial, their defeat on Friday dropped their record down to 4-2.
We should be in store for an exciting game Friday as the pair have no problem gaining yardage. Bastrop has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 369.6 total yards per game. However, it's not like Veterans Memorial struggles in that department as they've been even better at 418.8 per game. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Bastrop came up short against Veterans Memorial in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 44-32. Will Bastrop have more luck at home instead of on the road?
